Of Sovereigns, Nobles and Vassals: The Western Way of Hierarchy
rogerboyd.substack.com
In the sphere of mainstream international relations (IR) scholarship there is a completely artificial discontinuity agreed to be situated in 1648, when the Treaty of Westphalia was signed. The assumption is that that was when “modern” states replaced those of feudal times in Western Europe. This is of course utterly ridiculous as France was still an absolutist monarchy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire came into existence in 1867, among many exceptions to the “modern” rule. As Bruno Teschke (2003) correctly details, international relations were still rooted in feudalism and hierarchy. Mainstream IR realist thinking also considers that in the modern-day relationships between states are carried out in an “anarchic” system with little or no hierarchy, while liberal internationalists believe that through “capitalist democracy” (whatever the US elites deem that to be) nations can peacefully co-exist without a global sovereign. These are both of course, complete rubbish for anyone who spends any time to notice how international relations actually work.
Of Sovereigns, Nobles and Vassals: The Western Way of Hierarchy
Of Sovereigns, Nobles and Vassals: The…
Of Sovereigns, Nobles and Vassals: The Western Way of Hierarchy
In the sphere of mainstream international relations (IR) scholarship there is a completely artificial discontinuity agreed to be situated in 1648, when the Treaty of Westphalia was signed. The assumption is that that was when “modern” states replaced those of feudal times in Western Europe. This is of course utterly ridiculous as France was still an absolutist monarchy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire came into existence in 1867, among many exceptions to the “modern” rule. As Bruno Teschke (2003) correctly details, international relations were still rooted in feudalism and hierarchy. Mainstream IR realist thinking also considers that in the modern-day relationships between states are carried out in an “anarchic” system with little or no hierarchy, while liberal internationalists believe that through “capitalist democracy” (whatever the US elites deem that to be) nations can peacefully co-exist without a global sovereign. These are both of course, complete rubbish for anyone who spends any time to notice how international relations actually work.